


Burn Together

by wicked_wyvern



Category: Bleach
Genre: Gen, Pre-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-12
Updated: 2014-10-12
Packaged: 2018-02-21 01:48:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2450192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wicked_wyvern/pseuds/wicked_wyvern
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five double drabbles written for <a href="http://bleach100.dreamwidth.org/">bleach100</a> focusing on the relationship between Ichigo and Tatsuki.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Burn Together

**Prompt:** #004 Tatsuki

Tatsuki loves to fight. It's not that she goes around deliberately picking fights, because she doesn't. But even as a child, she was always ready to protect what she considered hers. And she considered a lot of people hers.

Orihime is who Tatsuki protects the most. Not because Orihime is weak, but because Orihime is not good at fighting for things she considers unimportant. Like herself. Tatsuki has no problem stepping in to protect her until Orihime figures out that she is amazing and deserves everything in the world.

Tatsuki used to protect Ichigo too. It would probably surprise most of their classmates, but as a kid Ichigo was even less likely than Orihime to start a fight. There was only one thing that Ichigo would voluntarily start a fight over and that was his mother.

Yeah, Tatsuki knows that Ichigo's name means "protector of one". She's not sure if the Kurosaki family knew his destiny and named him appropriately or if they cursed him by accident.

In any case, Tatsuki can't protect Ichigo like she used to. She protects him in other ways. Small ways. Like dragging Orihime away when he needs space.

She'll always have his back, though. He just needs to ask.

 

**Prompt:** #006 gap

There is a gap between them in terms of fighting ability. Ichigo is strong and fights instinctively. Since he mostly fights punks and lower yakuza, this works for him fine. Tatsuki is fast and fights with her head. When she fights in tournaments her opponents have been trained and usually trained well. It takes her longer to learn new moves than it does Ichigo, but she breaks down the movement and trains herself bloody until it becomes second nature.

Tatsuki is the better fighter of them both. But it's mostly because Ichigo doesn't fight smarter opponents. If he were to take karate lessons again or join their school's karate team, he'd get better very fast. Faster than Tatsuki wants to think about.

She'd enjoy the challenge though. Most of her local opponents aren't worth talking about. It's why she really loves going to the national tournaments. There's nothing better than a good fight with an opponent who loves the adrenaline rush as much as she does.

Sometimes Tatsuki thinks about asking Ichigo to spar privately. He'd be a good partner and he wouldn't mind if she decided to fight dirty. She knows that she'll ask him one day but probably not anytime soon.

 

**Prompt:** #005 burn

Tatsuki is born with fire in her blood. She is a wild child with a strong heart and dreams of fire. Fighting in controlled tournaments helps to restrain her more destructive tendencies. But she lives her life knowing that eventually she'll burn herself out.

Ichigo was lit on fire the moment his mother died. Tatsuki watches him struggle with it but doesn't know how to help. She doesn't think her methods would help him as he is right now. He burns faster and brighter because he doesn't know how to slow himself down. He'll reduce himself to nothing but ashes if he continues as he does.

Tatsuki is grateful when Ichigo becomes friends with Sado. If they are fire, Sado is a deep ocean of patience. Something about him tempers the fire in Ichigo's blood and makes him easier to deal with. Tatsuki can approach him again without having to worry that she'll only make him burn faster.

The way Ichigo looks at her now tells her that he can see how she burns. They are good friends, but they take care to keep from fueling each other to dangerous heights.

They'll burn together, if given the chance, and they can't afford that now.

 

**Prompt:** #003 moment

They catch each other's eyes from across the room and share a moment of exasperated frustration. Tatsuki is used to dealing with Orihime and Chizuru's brand of nonsense. Most days, she can deal with Asano and Kojima's unholy alliance as well. But there is something dangerous in the air that is making her uneasy and she has no patience for all of their combined antics today.

Ichigo clearly feels the same way.

There is no way to measure her envy of Ichigo when Sado steps forward as a human shield and gives Ichigo the time he needs to collect the fragmented bits of his composure. She wishes she could do the same.

Orihime flutters near her waving her arms and Tatsuki reels her in. She does her best to redirect Orihime's exuberance while kicking Chizuru directly into Asano, which results in predictable flailing from both parties. Kojima laughs at them both with his eyes as he helps Asano up from his sprawled position on the floor.

Thankfully their home room teacher takes that moment to enter the classroom. Everyone settles into their seats with a grumble and a sigh. Meanwhile, Tatsuki gets a moment to breathe and find her center before the lesson starts.

 

**Prompt:** #001 excitement

Tatsuki is curious about the friendship developing between Ichigo and the transfer student. Kuchiki is a little odd but she is doing Ichigo a world of good. The excitement in his eyes, restrained but obvious to Tatsuki at least, feels like her own when she goes to tournaments to fight.

Ichigo has finally found a way to manage his own fire. Tatsuki is thrilled. She would never try to take Sado's place as Ichigo's best friend, but she is looking forward to renewing her relationship with him. As much as she loves Orihime, she's missed Ichigo's presence in her life. She could try and strike up a real friendship with Sado too. His uncomplicated nature would be welcome in her life.

Tatsuki has plans to become friends with Kuchiki as well. Ichigo has always been able to see to the heart of the people he calls friends and she trusts his judgement. Also, Tatsuki could do with another level-headed female in her circle of friends. As flighty as Kuchiki sometimes acts, the way her eyes flash at times tells that she is hiding a core of cold steel. She is interested in the person behind the fluttery manners and odd word choices.


End file.
